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Environment in emerging and transition economies

Capacity Development Workshop on Water-related SDGs Integration and Implementation in Eastern Partnership (EaP) Countries and beyond

 

The Capacity Development Workshop on Water-related SDGs Integration and Implementation in Eastern Partnership (EaP) Countries and beyond took place on 23-24 November 2020 virtually.

Since 2015, Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries have made some progress in nationalising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), often with support from development partners. However, the countries still face challenges in both: (i) integrating SDGs into policy frameworks, using them as policy objectives in strategies and plans; and (ii) meeting the water-related SDGs by 2030, recognising that many countries in the region and internationally are behind schedule. 

Challenges include those linked to national data collection and monitoring frameworks and the lack of coherent, prioritised strategic and mid-term plans. The present crisis triggered by Covid-related restrictions has reduced household income and fiscal capacity of many countries, exacerbating affordability constraints and compounding these challenges. These challenges reduce opportunities for: mobilising sufficient finance for delivering water-related SDGs, using available funds in the most cost-effective way and measuring the development impact in terms of progress towards the SDGs.

While all Eastern Partnership countries have made progress with establishing the national framework for monitoring water-related SDGs and integrating them into national policy frameworks, opportunities exist to identify and include indictors that are still missing, improve proxy indicators presently used, and strengthen linkages with policy documents and budgetary frameworks. It was noted that this would draw technical, financial and political attention to this domain of both domestic and international actors.

Objectives

The workshop helped to demonstrate the role of water-related SDGs as a tool for strengthening water management in terms of building confidence in, mobilising finance for, and driving the implementation of, strategic water management plans; and for tracking progress towards achieving national water policy objectives and international obligations, as well as measuring development impact of interventions in the water sector.

The specific objectives of the meeting were to:

  • develop capacity of theEaP countries in this domain through sharing good practices and lessons learned from the EU and OECD countries and from within the Eastern Partnership and wider Eurasia region;
  • exchange experience regarding water-related Sustainable Development Goals and the progress made with their integration within the wider policy framework and implementation on the ground.

 

Participants

The workshop was attended by the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine), the wider Eurasia region, OECD member countries and partners including representatives from four Development Banks, the UN family and Global Water Partnership.

meeting documents

Discussion Document

 

Presentations

  

Organisation and support

The workshop was organised by the OECD GREEN Action Task Force with support from the Government of Norway. The workshop also supported delivery of the regional work programme under the European Union Water Initiative Plus (EUWI+) project.

 

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